Travel: By car, railway or two feet, Mount Washington worth the climb

MOUNT WASHINGTON, N.H. — The skies were magnificent the day I visited the mountain that claims the world’s worst weather.

Mount Washington, the highest point in New England, is known for its frigid winters and as the place with the highest wind speeds ever recorded by man — 231 mph. (An automated weather station on an Australian island has recorded a higher speed.) The old wood-frame observatory had to be chained down, like King Kong on Broadway, to keep it from blowing away.

On my visit on a beautiful day in June, the skies were a deep azure, illuminating multiple shades of green in the surrounding White Mountains. Just a few patches of snow clung tenaciously to nearby peaks, and the winds, though gusty, did not quite threaten to blow me off the mountain. The views stretched out for 60 miles, into parts of New York, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts and Canada.

No matter the weather or views, though, getting to the top of Mount Washington is at least half the fun. Visitors have been eager to make the climb, one way or another, since at least the middle of the 19th century. The country’s first mountain-hiking trail, first cog railway and a carriage (now auto) road that bills itself as “America’s first man-made attraction” all lead to the summit.

The hiking trail, Crawford Path, was laid out in 1819 to the top of the 6,288-foot-tall mountain and is now part of an extensive system of interconnected regional trails. The Appalachian Trail, stretching from Maine to Georgia, also crosses the top of the mountain.

Many day hikers park at trailheads around the base of the mountain to make the climb that can take four to six hours one way in good weather. Some trails offer easier climbs and some offer more technically difficult climbs, though they all end at the top of the mountain.

The Mount Washington Cog Railway offers an easier, but no less thrilling, way up and down the mountain.

When construction of the railway started in 1866, the ambitious project, using technology that was cutting-edge for the day, was scorned as the “Railway to the Moon.” But when it was completed in 1869, the railway instantly became popular with tourists. It has been designated a National Historic Engineering Landmark, and the little, colorful engine-car combinations, constructed and maintained by the railway company, are still whiz-bang amazing.

The railway’s most up-to-date locomotives burn an ecologically friendly biodiesel fuel. But for traditionalists, an old-fashioned steam engine still powers the trip up and back once on most days.

The cog that gives the railway its name engages with teeth in the track, slowly pulling or slowing the engine and passenger car on the way up or down. At one point, the 3-mile-long track reaches a slope of 37.41 degrees — one of the steepest train tracks in the world.

As the horizon out the window seems to tilt crazily, the sound that passengers hear is identical to the chu-clunk, chu-clunk, chu-clunk of a huge roller coaster ascending to the top of a heart-stopping hill, although the terminal plunge, thankfully, never comes.

Along the way, the railroad brakeman offers an entertaining narration about the history of the railway and mountain. From the train, which climbs the western face of the mountain, passengers can also see the tiny figures of hikers as they and the train approach the summit from different directions.

Once the train reaches the top, passengers disembark to explore the sights for about an hour before the descent, which is only a bit faster than the hour-long trip up.

The Mount Washington Auto Road, which climbs the eastern face of the mountain, has its own fascinating history. The private carriage road to the top bankrupted several companies before it was finished in 1861. But the horse-drawn carriages, and later, motor coaches, took an increasing stream of paying customers to the top.

Today’s visitors can still book a guided trip on one of the Auto Road company’s tour vans, or drive the road via their own car or motorcycle.

The toll for self-drivers includes an informative CD audio tour with narration for up and down the mountain. Drivers also receive a certificate and bumper sticker boasting “This Car Climbed Mt. Washington.”

Navigating the paved and well-maintained, if steep, 7.6-mile road shouldn’t be a problem for vehicles in good condition. And the road is always wide enough for two vehicles to pass.Motorists will find several small pull-offs along the way where they can get out, stretch their legs and gape at the jaw-dropping views.

The toll also covers the entry fee (otherwise $2) to the small Extreme Mount Washington weather museum. The museum offers summer visitors a taste of wintry Mount Washington, where the average snowfall approaches 50 feet and the average temperature in January is 4 degrees. The exhibits include an entertaining re-creation of the frigid, frightful day in 1934 when the weather observatory, now a gift shop and still chained to the mountain, recorded the record winds.

The museum is located inside the Mount Washington State Park visitors center, which also has its own displays, restrooms and snack bar. It’s also the home of the modern weather observatory, which offers occasional tours and programs. (The current observatory is in a sturdy and massive concrete building but is not, as far as I know, chained to the mountain.)

The visitors center is always filled with a colorful mix of hikers, motorists and train passengers, each group, I’d guess, feeling a bit superior, but still envious of the others’ modes of transportation.

No matter how you get to the top of mountain, you’ll be glad you did.

Just be ready to grab onto something solid when the wind starts to blow.

— Steve Stephens can be reached at sstephens@dispatch.com or on Twitter @SteveStephens.